Fountain pen



Sept. 8, 1931. A. H. SWAN FOUNTAIN PEN Filed June 22. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l ,y INVENTOR.k da() wa/w' ATTORNE lSept. 8, 1931. A, H, SWAN l1,822,789

FOUNTAIN PEN Filed June 22, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v 1N V EN TOR.

'ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 8, 1931 ALFRED OF vLOS -AN,GELES, CALIFORNIA l FOUNTAIN BEN Application filed J une 22,

My invention relates broadlyfto fountain pens and more particularly to aV fillable fountain pen of simpliied construetionIhav-ing a minimum number of Wearing parts.

5 jOne of the objects oi' my inventionisto provide a construction of fountain pen which does lnot require the use et' anextraneous instrument y-for the reiilling of the pen or lthe use of a compress'ible reservoir in which the .10 fluid Within the pen lisi-maintained.

Another obj ect yo'ffmy invention is to pro vide va rconstruction of fountain pen wherein a collapsible reservoir Ais notrequired for reiilling processesand in which the ink or other 'lb' Huid is maintained out ofi-contact ywith sliding parts inthe pen construction, thereby eliminating undesirable friction of the parts due to the adherence oi dried `iluid over the surface of the par-ts.

`till another object of `my invention is to provide a fountain pen construction having a large fluid holding capacity which will Anot require relillling at vfrequent intervals and in which assurance is givenagainst the leakage of ink from the fountain pen While the pen is-not in use.

@ther and' further objects-of my invention reside in the construction of fountain pen as set forth in the specification hereinafter-iollowing by reference to the accompany-ing drawings, in which:

Figure l is a central vertical longitudinal section througlr the fountain pen of my invention ,lFigfQ is a central vertical lengitudi nal sectional 'View showin@-l the lpen in position'rfor iilling the barrel showing the method oi eXhausti-ngthe air 'from the barrelthrough the lilling processg/Figj isa fragmentary longitudinal cross-sectionalview through the pen yof Fig. l showing the flow of ink cut oilq and the pen in carrying-position,Figs 4, .5, G, 7 and 8 arehorizontal sectional views taken on the lines 4-4f, 5-5,16-6,5 7-7 and-'8 8 oiV Figli and.` i9` isa @horizontal sectional view taken on line '9--9 otFigj Referring more particularly to the draw ings, reierencecharacter 1 indicates the outer barrel :or shell of the main `body of the pen; reference character Qnshovvs the. innerbarrel "5G and surrounds the 1 ink or. fluid reservoir- I5.

1929. Serial No."373,000. i

Both 1 and 2 vare continuous at -theirlower ends `with the solid portion 4. "Barrel2`fis continuedupwardly into a circular neck @I6 whichis hollow, the channel?? beingfnarrower than but continuous with'the inkfreservoir 5. The ohan-nel`7 is open at its upper end. The neck@ is threaded `on itsconvex circumference and receives a concave'thread inf' the main head-piece 8 when in the closedfposition. Barrel 3 is-atta'ched above to theimain head-piecef-S and 'slides freely between barrels l and 2 and extends theiulllength of the space 3b. The upward progress of barrel is checked by the abutment-of theprojection 3a against projection la. 'Projection-Salis pierced by lsegmental spaces las shownfatflc to allow the inflow ofair to relieve the vacuum 'formed in the space Solas barrel?, travels yupward. Projection la is similarly pierced by spaces V1c for a similarfpurpose. Projection la is formed by a `multiplicityof segmental members secured by suitable means -to barrel l such as rivetmembers 1b. I'Prejection wis formed by segmental integral extensions bn barrel 3.V

,The concave thread in the head-piece is pierced at one side to iorm' a lpert"'9vvhi'ch serves `as an airsvent which will be= hereinafter explained. PortionBa-sealsf the-'space 7 when the penis closed, thus preventing eemmunication Y between theink reservoir `5 land theair port9.

Above the p'ortionlo: -isan air valve oonsistin-g oif a knurled ciroulargrip' l() and ia circular neck' l1 i which slides in a collar-- 8b. Nhentheainvalve is rai-sed it iscliecked-lat the proper heightr bythe projectionillb impinging on the collar'Sb. ,"Collar? Soi-issecured in position' byfany suitable means such as rivetsScZ. The neck 1111 is hollow, open at the bottom and closed-atthe'top. `One vside ispierced'-to sform al spaceE ll2, which 'withfthe air .valve raised allows the escape V4oi -air f enteringthe Ine'ck'iroml the portl9.

AAt' thellower -end of the tmainbo'dy xthe solidportionfi` is'soinade thatit'narrowsjthe ink vreservoir?) so that itslovverfoutlet 15a occupies 'onlya Aportion of one lhalf #of its area above. T-hisis accomplishedby the overhang of the shelving portionofll which iterminates in a downward projection 4Z) which extends at right angles to the section in Fig. 1 across the diameter of the reservoir except for the space 13 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The ink reservoir is further narrowed by the projection 40 which will be later explained.

The lowermost section of Fig. 1 is a portion 14 carrying pen point 18 shown in its position when the pen is filled and ready for writing. It is separate from the main body 4 but attached to itby slots or grooves 14a into which projection 4a on barrel 1 extends. The pen portion 14 is hollow, its channel 15 communicating in this position with the ink reservoir 5 through the narrow channel 5a described above. The channel 15 leads to the feed which is attached to its lower end to the pen point 18. Portion 14 can be rotated 180O on portion 4 thereby bringing channel 15 out of communication with ink reservoir 5, the flat surface 140 coming to rest beneath 5a, as shown in Fig. 3, thus preventing ink flowing downward from ink reservoir 5. The rotating action is stopped at the proper points by the projection 141; which .in cross-section is a quarter circle. In the writing position, one end of projection .141) abuts against 4b as shown in Fig. 8, while in the closed position the opposite end of projection 14o abuts against 4c shown in Fig. 9. The space shown around 1479 has been cut away to reduce friction and to prevent sticking together of rotating parts. The only parts that are bathed in ink which have to slide one on the other are the under surface of 4b against the upper surface of a small bit of 14o-a very minute area in the finished product. Throughout the pen structure, all sliding parts are made to fit snugly with substantially no play or excess movement between the parts. u

The operation of the pen of my invention in the filling process is as follows: At the beginning the various parts are arranged'as shown in Fig. 1 in writing position. With the fingers of the left hand holding the pen about the outside of barrel 1, the pen nib and feed are placed well below the surface of the ink in a suitable container. The fingers ofthe right hand grasp the head-piece 8 and rotate it to the left until its concave thread 8o is felt to have disengaged the threaded neck-piece 6. Then by pulling upward on the head-piece 8 the barrel 3 slides upward between barrels 1 and 2, tending to form a vacuum within the ink reservoir 5 thus drawing ink up through the feed. This upward pull is checked when projection 3a abuts against projection 1a, indicating that barrel 8 has been pulled up to its full length. The ink reservoir is now filled with ink, while the interior of barrel 3 is filled with the air that was in the ink reservoir. One of the fingers of the left hand can now be pressed against the outside of barrel 3 to hold it in position while the right hand releases the head-piece 8 and grasps the lowermost portion 14 at the same time lifting the tip of the pen 18 out of the ink well. The fingers of the right hand now rotate lowermost portion 14 through a turn of 18()o to the right. This carries the surface 14e to rest beneath the channel 5a effectively shutting off the downward fiow of ink from the ink reservoir for the time being. This action is checked by the projection 14?; which traverses a half circle and is stopped by the abutment 4o as shown in Fig. 9. It will be noted that the projection 4Z) and the point 14d are so placed in relation to the center of rotation that the point 14d is directly under and in contact with 4b in both the open and closed positions.

The fingers of the right hand now release their hold on 14 and grasp the knurled head of the air valve at the very top of the pen at grip 10 and pull the latter upward until stopped by the striking of 11b against the collar 8b. Here the fit is tight enough to permit grip 10 to be maintained in raised position by frictional forces. The right hand now again grasps head-piece 8 and pushes downward to replace barrel 3 to its original position. This is now a safe procedure because the ink cannot flow out of the lower end of the ink reservoir, or, in fact, out of the channel 15 since the lowermost portion 14 is in the closed position. As the barrel 3 descends the air contained in it goes out the top. Reference to Fig. 2 will show that the air will follow a path as indicated by the arrows, namely, out of the top of barrel 3 through the cavity within the concave thread 80, thence into air port 9 and 9a, thence into channel 11a within the air valve, thence out through the air-vent 12 cut in the neck 11.

IVhen head-piece 8 reaches the threaded neck-piece 6 it is rotated to the right and screwed into its original position. Then the air valve 10 is' pushed back into its original place. The lowermost portion 14 is now turned back 180 to the left and the pen is ready to use.

It will be noted that the arrangement of the air passages is suoli that when the pen is closed the ink cannot enter the air passages or contaminate the moving parts of the air valve. This is accomplished by the sealing of the channel of the neck-piece 6 by the portion 8a and by the cutting of the air port 9 in the side of the thread 8c in such a way that when screwed to neck-piece 6 several turns of the concave thread assist in sealing the air port 9. off from the channel 7.

In the fountain pen of my construction, I avoid the use of a collapsible bag reservoir normally used, which reservoir is subjected to wear and deterioration within a relatively short period of time. The parts of the fountain pen of my invention may be manufactured inexpensively on a quantity production negarse" l. In a fountain pen, an inner barrel have ing a reservoir for fluid therein, an outer barrel spacially positioned coaxially with said inner barrel and having one end formed integral with the corresponding end of said inner barrel, an intermediate barrel mounted to slide between said inner and outer barrels, a writing head carried by the common portion of said inner and outer barrels, said common portion of said barrels and said writing head being each provided with eccentric How spaces, said writing head being mounted for rotation relative to said com'- mon portion of said barrels for selectively causing or preventing the register of said respective flow spaces, the end of said inner barrel remote from said writing head being exteriorly screw threaded, and an adjustable head rotatable from the exterior of said fountain pen and carried by the end of said intermediate barrel remote from said writing head and screw threaded internally for receiving said screw threaded portion of said inner barrel, said adjustable head being adapted to close said screw threaded end of said inner barrel when said screw threaded portions are engaged, said intermediate barrel being slidable between said inner and outer barrels without access of any writing fluid from said reservoir in said inner barrel to the sliding space between said inner and outer barrels when the screw threaded portion of said adjustable head is disengaged from said inner barrel, whereby said inner barrel may be vfilled with fluid and the air from said inner barrel expelled without the pen structure.

2. In a fountain pen, an inner barrel having a reservoir for fluid therein, an outer barrel spacially positioned coaxially with said f': inner barrel and having one end formed integral with the corresponding end of said inner barrel, an intermediate barrel mounted to slide between said inner and outer barrels, a writing head carried by the common portion of said inner and outer barrels, said common portion of said barrels and said writing head being each provided with eccentric flow spaces, said writing head being mounted for rotation relative to said common portion of said barrels for selectively causing or preventing the register lOfsaid respective flow spaces, theend of said inner barrel remote-from said writing head being exteriorly screw threaded, an ladjustable head rotatable 'from the exterior ofsaidlfountain pen and carried bythe end of said intermediate barrel vremote from said writing head and screw threaded internally for receiving said screw threaded portion of-said inner barrel, said adjustable head being adapted to close said screw threaded end-of said inner barrel when said screw threaded portions are engaged, said-intermediatebarrel being slidable between said inner and outer barrels without access of any writing fluid yfronmsaid reservoir'in said inner barrel to 4vthe sliding space between '-said inner and outer'barrels when the screw threaded portion of said adjustable head is disengaged from said inner barrel, and a cap member mounted on said adjustable Ihead and 5having an interior channel yvented to the outer atmosphere and being adjustable with reference to said adjustable headfor selectively opening or closing the vent in said cap m'em ber to avoid or abut said adjustable head, said adjustable head being internally apertured to permitcommunicationbetween said reservoir and the channel in said cap member when said adjustableheadand .said cap member are raised, whereby'said inner barrel may be yfilled with r'fluid and the air from said inner barrel expelled without the `pen structure.

3. In a fountain pen, an innerbarrel having a reservoir for fluid therein, an outerbarrel s'pacially positioned coaxially with said inner barrel and having one end formed integral with the corresponding end of said inner barrel, an intermediate barrel mounted to slide between said inner and outer barrels, a writJ ing head carried by the common vportion of said inner and outer barrels, said common portion of said .barrels and said writinghead being each provided with eccentric 'flow spaces, said writing head being mounted for rotation relative to said common portion of said barrels for selectively causing or preventing the vregister of said respective iow spaces, the end of said inner barrel remote from saidl writing head being exteriorly screw threaded, and an adjustable head rotatable from the exterior of said fountain pen and carried by the end of said intermedi? ate barrel remote from said writing head and screw threaded internally for receiving said screw threaded `portion of said inner barrel, said adjust-able head'bei-ng adapted'to close'said screw threaded vend of said inner barrel when said screw threadedportions vare engaged, said'intermediate barrel being slidable between said inner and outer barrels without access of anywriting fluid from said reservoir in said inner barrel to the sliding space between said inner and outer barrels 4. Leeafrsf when the screw threaded portion of said adjustable head is disengaged from said inner barrel, said outer barrel and said intermediate barrel being respectively provided with stops adapted to engage each other and limit the sliding movement of said intermediate barrel between said other two barrels, Wherev by said inner barrel may be filled with iiuidV and the air from said inner barrel expelled a without the pen structure.

4. In a fountain pen, an inner barrel having a reservoir for fluid therein, an outer barrel spacially positioned coaxially with said inner barrel and having one end formed integral with the corresponding end of said inner barrel, an intermediate barrel mounted to slide between said inner and oiter barrels, a writing head carried by the common portion of said inner and outer barrels, said common portion of said barrels and said writing head being each provided with eccentric flow spaces, said writing head being mounted for rotation relative to said common portion of said barrels for selectively causing or preventing the register of said respective flow spaces, the end of said inner barrel remote from said writing head being exteriorly screw threaded, an adjustable head rotatable from the exterior of said fountain pen and carried by the end of said intermediate barrel remote from said writing head and screw threaded internally for receiving said screw threaded portion of said inner barrel. said intermediate barrel being slidable between said inner and outer barrels without access of any writing fluid from said reservoir in said inner barrel to the sliding space between said inner and outer barrels when the' screw threaded portion of said adjustable head is disengaged from said inner barrel,

and a cap member mounted on said adjustable head and having an interior channel vented to the outer atmosphere and being adjustable with reference to said adjustable head for sei lectively opening or closing the vent in said cap member to avoid or abut said adjustable head, said adjustable head being provided with a lateral aperture in the screw threaded portion thereof and a lateral channel communicating with the interior channel in said cap member when said cap member is adjusted in the open position, for sealing said reservoir from access to said last mentioned channels when said screwthreaded portion of said inner barrel engages said adjustable head, and placing said reservoir in communication with said channels when said inner barrel is disengaged from said adjustable head, whereby said inner barrel may be filled with fluid and the air from said inner barrel expelled without the pen structure.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALFRED H. SWAN. 

